China blames Tibetan monk's suicide on stress

June 8, 2009

Earth Times (press release) - London,UK
Fri, 05 Jun 2009

Beijing - Chinese authorities have blamed the suicide of a Tibetan monk in
north-west Qinghai province on stress resulting from heart disease and the
loss of his family, state media reported Friday. The monk, identified as
43-year-old Shadri, was found dead on March 9 in his dormitory in a
monastery in Tongren county, the provincial public security bureau was
quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.

According to the bureau's statement, the motivation for the suicide was
heart disease and psychological stress over the deaths of his sister and
wife in 1993, and his mother in 2006.

Reports by the Norway-based Voice of Tibet saying the monk had hanged
himself after harassment by authorities were "distorted," the statement
said.

Following a report on the Tibetan government-in-exile's website, the Voice
of Tibet said that a monk committed suicide at a monastery in Rebgong, also
known as Tongren, around April 2. The report identified the monk as Shedup,
aged around 40, and said that he had feared arrest and torture by Chinese
public security officials.

The Tibetan government-in-exile's website said the monk had earlier been
beaten and tortured in custody, after he was arrested over riots that took
place in Tibetan areas in March 2008.